Due to the growth of the “urban shadow”, farming systems in metropolitan areas (MAs) are characterized by specific environmental, economic, and social pressures. Urbanization pressure and its related threats, as well as the opportunities resulting from a convenient location close to consumers’ markets, cause rapid farming systems changes. The present study provides a quali-quantitative overview of change in farming systems in selected Polish metropolitan areas. Various statistical methods were applied to analyze changes in farming systems. First, farming system changes were characterized for the study area by the exploratory factor analysis. In addition, experts’ opinions (qualitative data) on changes in farming systems until 2027 are presented. The research conducted showed that there are a few main patterns in changes to/adaptations of farming systems: Horizontal growth of farms, farmland concentration, process of specialization (horticulture, orchards), trajectories towards more multifunctional farming practices (off-farm diversification, as well as “deepening” and “broadening” strategies), reduction of livestock farming, deintensification and farmland abandonment. Those processes vary in space, and they are only partially explained in terms of distance to the core city (location). Experts forecast that the identified trends will continue, paying attention to the growing importance of multifunctional agriculture and the intensification of recessive processes, including farmland abandonment and excessive deintensification of production. According to the experts surveyed, most farmers will continue to apply traditional development strategies, which will be ineffective without the possibility of increasing the area of farms.

Research background: Among the determinants of the socio-economic development of the region, an important role is played by its endogenous potential. It is reflected in the industry structure of the region, formed in the process of its historical development. The industry structure is the basis for the development of regional specialisations. One of the criteria for defining specialisations is the employment structure by sections and divisions of the national economy. The definition of regional specialisations is indispensable for planning the development policy and for formulating regional strategies. Purpose of the article: The main objective of the paper is the analysis and evaluation of employment structure as a criterion for the delimitation of industries identified as smart specialisations in the region. The study covers the case of selected region in Poland at NUTS-2 level ? the voivodeship of Małopolska. Methods: The study is based on GUS unpublished data (Statistics Poland) for 2009 and 2018. It makes use of descriptive statistical analysis methods and structure and dynamics ratios, as well as Florence?s specialisation coefficient. Findings & value added: The research has shown that the employment structure indicating the presence of the region's specialisation in given industries is an important, but not sufficient criterion for the evaluation, whether the delimitation of industries recognized as smart specialisations was appropriate. In the light of the conducted research, it seems fully justified to grant the status of smart specialisation in Małopolska to Information and Communication Technologies as well as to Creative and Leisure Industries. In the context of changes to employment dynamics and structures, the possible development-oriented smart specialisations are as follows: Manufacture of metals and metal products, Electronics and machine industry, and Chemistry. On the other hand, the identified specialisations: Life science and Sustainable energy are not in line with changes in the region?s employment structure. The paper proposes one of the possible ways of precise identification of distinctive regional industries with high development potential. The structure of employment and changes occurring in this area make it possible to determine the main forces of the region's endogenous potential, and thus may form the basis for the determination, and in the longer term, assessment of the relevance of identified regional smart specialisations. The added value of the study is, therefore, an attempt to assess, on the example of a selected region, to what extent changes in regional specialisations reflected in the existing employment structure confirm the accuracy of the selection of industries identified as regional smart specialisations. The presented case is an exemplification of the proposed method, which can also be successfully applied to other European regions.

The crisis triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic revealed the shortcomings and weaknesses of regional economies. It should therefore be perceived as an impulse for change, aimed at building greater resilience to various external shocks, which will also occur in the future. The aim of the article is to present the original concept of studying the socio-economic consequences of the crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and the challenges arising in the face of the identified development problems. Our research shows that the necessary values to be strengthened in order to create a modern and resilient regional economy include competences, scientific and technological knowledge, financial capital and public and social security. We find that to strengthen the priority values, the specific styles of actions should be adopted, which would enable effective use of endogenous potential resources of the region. These include flexibility, diversification and communication and cooperation. The authors employ the method of scientific analysis and deduction, they refer to their own observations of socioeconomic phenomena and critically analyse literature and strategic documents.

The article aims to present the system of direct agricultural payments in Poland in the context of solutions applied in the European Union. The work describes briefly the evolution of direct payments in the framework of Common Agricultural Policy, presents basic information about the models of direct payments effective in the European Union and characterizes in detail the system of direct payments obligatory in Poland. Subsequently an attempt is made at determining the advantages and disadvantages of individual systems of direct payments existing in the EU from the Polish perspective and final conclusions are presented. Celem niniejszego artykułu jest zaprezentowanie systemu płatności bezpośrednich w Polsce w kontekście rozwiązań stosowanych w Unii Europejskiej. W pracy przedstawiono krótko ewolucję płatności bezpośrednich w ramach Wspólnej Polityki Rolnej, zaprezentowano podstawowe informacje na temat modeli płatności bezpośrednich obowiązujących w Unii Europejskiej oraz szczegółowo scharakteryzowano system płatności bezpośrednich obowiązujący w Polsce. Następnie dokonano próby określenia zalet i wad poszczególnych systemów płatności bezpośrednich obowiązujących w UE z perspektywy Polski

Celem artykułu jest ocena efektywności wykorzystania środków pomocowych WPR współfinansujących projekty inwestycyjne, które realizowane były w latach 2004-2015 przez małe gospodarstwa rolne z województwa małopolskiego. Badania wykazały, że gospodarstwa najczęściej wykorzystywały środki pomocowe na realizację inwestycji polegających na uzupełnianiu i unowocześniana swojego parku maszynowego oraz budowie lub modernizacji obiektów gospodarskich, co doprowadziło do powiększenia zasobów rzeczowych tych gospodarstw, a także unowocześnienia prowadzonej w nich produkcji. Badania wykazały stosunkowo niską efektywność wykorzystania środków pomocowych WPR współfinansujących projekty inwestycyjne. Ponadto stwierdzono istnienie istotnej statystycznie, dodatniej zależności między wielkością gospodarstwa, a efektywnością wykorzystania środków.

W ramach gospodarki 4.0 zmienia się nie tylko ilość pracy i zapotrzebowanie na różne umiejętności, ale także organizacja pracy i sposoby zatrudniania pracowników. Celem artykułu jest zidentyfikowanie zmian zachodzących na stanowiskach pracy w wyniku postępu technologicznego oraz ocena stopnia upowszechnienia nowych, elastycznych form zatrudnienia w zakładach pracy. Zmiany, które w największym stopniu dokonują się na stanowiskach pracy, obejmują wzrost wydajności pracy, możliwość podjęcia elastycznych form zatrudnienia, wzrost jakości pracy, konieczność nieustannego rozwoju zawodowego, łatwiejsze godzenie pracy zawodowej z życiem prywatnym. W Polsce najbardziej rozpowszechnioną formą elastycznego zatrudnienia jest praca zdalna, natomiast występowanie innych nowoczesnych form elastycznego zatrudnienia, takich jak: job rotation, work sharing czy job sharing, ma charakter incydentalny.